Rail-joint.



No. 801,570. PATENTED OGTlO, 1905. J. A. & I. J. CRAWFORD RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED Mum, 1904.

UNITED STATES PWATENT GFFICE.

JAMS A. CRAVFORD AND IDA J. CRAVFORD, OF NEVADA, MISSOURI.`

RAIL-JOINT.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

Application filed May 24, 1904. Serial N0. 209,483.

To all wily/)711. it nur/y concern:

Be it known that we, J Aires A. CRAWFORD and IDA. J. CRAWFORD, citizensof the United States, residing at Nevada, in the county of Vernon andState of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements inRail-Joints, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a rail -joint in which the abutting ends ofconnected rails meet at an angle, whereby the wheels of cars. Sac.,running thereon will smoothly and imperceptibly pass from one rail tothe other without shock or jar to the passing car.

Figure l represents a horizontal section through the webs of twoconnected rails on the line u a of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a perspective viewof the end of one rail. Fig. is a cross-section of our improvedrail-joint on the line I; 7) of Fig. 1.

Similar numerals refer to the same parts on all the figures.

The numerals 1 and 2 indicate two rails to be joined. Their abuttingends are cut at an angle and lapped, as shown, the contacting' faces ofsaid abutting ends being on a vertical plane and atan angle of about tendegrees with respect to the side of the rail. As the beveled formationof the rail ends will naturally weaken the webs 3, to compensate forthis weakness the ends of each web are reinforced by increasing theirthickness, as at 4, to about that of the head 5 of the rail, thus givingsaid head increased support.

lar contacting faces of the rails enable the i ends of the rails to befastened together without the use of fish-plates or other similardevices.

The base-flanges at each end of the rails are provided with extensionsl0, which proi Through j these thickened portions 5 of the webs and ofthe webs proper behind such thickened porl ject forwardly beyond thewebs and have their inner faces beveled 1n line or liush with the bevelsof the webs. Said flanges are furouter opposite faces, which extendrearwardljT from the bevels of the webs of the rail ends and serve tocontact with the beveled extensions IO, which project in front of thewebs.

Below the rails and resting on the ties is a metal plate 8 forsupporting the joint. This plate, which is to be made long enough toextend over at least three ties, gives an unvielding support to thesuperposed rail-joint,

so that no sagging or depressing is possible.

rlhe plate S is suitably perforated for spikes 9, which fasten the railsto the ties. The elongation of the bolt-holes 6 permits the rails toexpand and contract, and as the rails var v in length under changes oftemperature their abutting faces will continually remain in Contact andslide upon each other, thus preserving at all times a smooth unbrokentread for wheels running thereon, variations in the transverse thicknessof the joint from l' expansion and contraction being compensated for byordinary springwashers, which in practice will be employed.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and usefulis- A rail-joint comprising each of the meet-' ing ends of the railshaving beveled treads, webs and base-flanges, the webs being providedwith a series of openings therein, the base-anges at each end of therails having extensions which project beyond the webs and having theirinner faces beveled in line or flush with the bevels of the webs, saidflanges being also provided with beveled parts on opposite outer faceswhich extend rearwardly from the bevels of the webs and serving tocontact with the projecting beveled extensions in front of the webs, andmeans passing through the openings of the webs to secure said meetingends together, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES A. CRAl/VFORD. IDA J. GRAVVFORD. Witnesses:

W. F. LAooFF, J. W. RUSSELL.

